A Rider Comes to MiddleEarth
by VeryaTirananniel
Summary: Aeroniel, an elf girl, is sent with her dragon to explore the lands north of Alegaesia. What they expected was simple. Forests, Deserts, an ocean or two, but nothing could prepare them for what they found.
1. Going Swimming and Reminiscing

Chapter one: going swimming and reminiscing

_Aeroniel/ slight Electra POV_

_Aeroniel! _My dragon, Electra mind-shouted. "oh be quiet" I sighed. "you worry too much" _But… "_no buts. I'm a Dixie (meaning southern), what can you expect? And besides_," _I said as I finished putting on my bikini, under the cover of Electra's wing_. "I checked, and re-checked, _and there's no one else around. And, if anyone tries anything, they'll have my sword, my bow, and your teeth, flames and claws to answer to, plus, any spells that I believe will suit the occasion." _Well.. I cant argue with that. She sighed. But you still need to be careful. _

I stepped out from under the cover of her wing and sighed in contentment. I walked up to the low cliff, took a deep breath, and dived over the edge. _Hey! Wait for me!_ I laughed as Electra jumped and dove through the air, not intending to land, as I did, in the water. She pulled up at the last second, doing a twirl through the air as she went to the edge of the small lake to wait for me to have swum my fill.

My dragon. Oh I loved those words to no end. My dragon was Electra Brightscales, or Siladhiel Bjartskular. She had hatched from her egg just for me, and that was probably the happiest moment of my life. Well, tied for the happiest with when I transported myself to Alegaesia. You see, im originally from earth. Not alegaesia, not middle earth, just plain old earth. Well, from the united states of america to be exact. I had a very special ability. I was able to jump from world to world. I think queen Izlanzadi said it had something to do with my ancestry. Oh well. Anyway, I'm from Florida.

When I jumped into du weldenvarden, I also made sure I had brought some of my old clothes. As a result, I was always comfortably clothed in blue jeans, converse, and a bra and sensible underpants. I could deal without my shirts, so I wore elven tunics with my jeans now. And converse weren't always practical, so I had brought some flip-flops too. But I barely wore either pairs of shoes anymore, since I got my elven boots. No one thought me too strange though. I suppose its because I appeared right in front of the Menoa tree in the middle of the Agaeti Blodrhen. I surfaced and laughed, remembering all the astonished looks on the elves' faces.

Electra chuckled, reading my memories. It was rare that the elves showed any large amount of emotion, and rarer still that that emotion was surprise. It was nearly impossible to see such a wide display of elven surprise as I did that fateful night. Also something strange happened to me then. It seems that when you jump worlds, your outside appearance and species changes to suit your heart, mind, and soul. I was astonished when I felt my ears, eyes, and face. I was an elf… am an elf. And I love it.

Islanzadi adopted me as her own when she saw that I had no family. A ten year old human-turned-elf could never survive on her own. So I was raised as Arya's sister. That was five hundred years ago. Im Five hundred and ten now, and im no longer in alegaesia. Eragon was sent to explore the lands north of alegaesia, but saphira was round with the first egg in centuries. So, naturally, Electra and I volunteered .

Arya had wanted to go instead with her dragon, but I vehemently refused. You see, Arya's dragon was hatched from the green egg that was the last of Galbatorix's captive eggs. He was also the sire of Saphira's egg, which is why I refused to let him go. He should stay and take care of Saphira during this time. I had found Electra's egg a few months before, a large silver stone on the island of Vroengard, lost to all. I hadn't recognized it, but I had brought it with me when I returned to Ellesmera.

When a little silver dragon hatched, no one was more surprised than me. I lifted my right hand to my face, not for the first time, and studied my palm. The gedwey ignasia burned bright on my hand, still more proof of the obvious; I am a dragon rider. _Enough reminiscing, _I thought. I dove back beneath the surface and swam through the water plants to the edge of the lake.

I had flown with Electra past the dry ocean just north of du weldenvarden. Past that, I had come across a desert landscape, then countless mountains, and grasslands. And when I saw this forest, hidden away within a deep valley, I instantly fell in love. Electra had flown low in the sky, and when we had come across this small river and lake, I just couldn't pass up a swim.

_I thought you said enough reminiscing_. She said, with a slight smirk to her voice. _I did_, I thought back. _Well apparently you didn't mean it, for you were reminiscing just now_, she laughed; and I laughed with her. I climbed from the water, some of it staying with my skin and making me shine. I looked at my skin, and then at my dragon's scales. _Electra, we're alike! _I thought, laughing. _That we are little one, _she replied. I looked around, slightly shivering from being exposed like this, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

"can you help me dry off? Im growing weary of standing in the full air." _Sure, _she said. I stood with my arms out to the sides. "okay im ready." she then started blowing softly. It wasn't enough to catch fire, but it was warm enough that I was dry within seconds. I climbed up her forearm, untying my pack of clothing. I pulled out a pair of skinny jeans that I had been wearing earlier, and my silver and green lamarae tunic, and my brown elven boots, along with my underclothing. Electra cupped her wing, making a sort of tent.

I walked under, and she closed the gap I had come through just in case there was anyone around. I quickly undressed, taking out my container of nalgask, and smoothing it over my skin. _Why are you doing that? _Electra asked. _You have no idea how dry my skin got from flying so long_. I thought back. I quickly got dressed, and as I was brushing my hair, using Electra's shining scales as a mirror, she suddenly shifted and growled low, sinking into a crouch and swinging around her head.

_Electra? "_Siladhiel, what is it?" I asked warily, packing up my things and walking out from under her wing, now fully dressed and groomed. When she didn't answer, but kept looking around, never leaving her defensive stance, I sprinted up her leg, re-tied my pack, returned my circlet to my brow, and armed myself. My quiver of fifty arrows was soon on my back, my silver bow with it. I belted on my sheath, and drew my silver sword.

My sword wasn't just colored silver, this sword was made with green brightsteel, mixed with silver. Silver necklaces and coins were other uses for the metal that went into my sword, but Rhunon thought this was a bit more important. My sword, was a silvery green, with a pattern running it's length that reminded me of light on the bottom of a swimming pool. Which of course is why I called it Eccaia, which means ocean in the ancient language.

I cast out my mind as I would a net, wary of any opposing minds. I stretched it all along the lake, and a few miles into the woods in any direction. I also made sure to include the area of the waterfall. I gasped as I sensed what I was searching for. And Electra thought in unision with me; _Someone is watching us. _

_~.~o~O~0~O~o~.~_

**So how was it for a first time? yeah, the title was boring, the summary was terrible, blah, blah, blah, but oh well. get over it.i already have chapters two and three up, but i have severe writer's block in the middle of chapter four. ~hint hint~ REVIEWS ARE PROVEN TO HELP WRITER'S BLOCK!  
Alright, for the sake of future references, thoughts are in italics, and the ancient language is in bold, and emphasized stuff is underlined. okay? Okay.~ my commentary are in underlined bold obviously. ~  
****Plus, its an alternate universe, so Brom and Oromis never died! YAY!  
**


	2. What Legolas Saw

_Chapter two: what Legolas saw_

Legolas/ Slight Gandalf POV

_Rivendell is so peaceful this time of year_, Legolas thought. He was currently residing high in the boughs of one tall pine tree. From here he could see the whole of the valley, as his branch stood a few yards higher than most others in the vicinity. But as he was observing the valley, he saw a shining spot come through the sky, and fly low to the forest. _what in the world? _He wondered. As the spot came closer, he saw one of the few things that would make an elf afraid. _A dragon._

It seemed to be following the river. Luckily, it had already passed Rivendell by, and was heading towards the lake. _Well, to make sure it doesn't wreak havoc, I had better follow it. _he reasoned. As he ran through the forest, he kept a sharp eye on the dragon. Yes, it was definitely following the river. It alighted on the rocks at the edge of the waterfall. Legolas jogged silently up to where he was only ten yards away. As he hid in the shadows, he watched the dragon for signs of potential burning, ruining, or any other form of destruction.

Quite to the contrary, he heard laughter. And not the deep, throaty chuckle that he supposed a dragon's laugh would be, but normal laughing. And judging by it's similarity to the sound of chimes or a river, he judged that it was an elf-maiden. "come on Electra, it'll be fine." the voice said. He halved the distance between himself and the dragon. It truly was enormous. But it was beautiful, in a strange, reptilian kind of way. It also had a sort of softness to it's face, and a grace to it's figure, that told him it was female_. But how…._ he never got to finish the thought, for from the dragon's back, he saw descending a strange elven girl.

Legolas gasped as he took in the scene before him. An elvish girl, barely of age, alighting from the back of a bright silver dragon! Her hair was like that which he had never before seen on an elf. Honey brown, and sun-bleached, but with random lowlights of near black sprinkled through it. He couldn't be sure from here, but her eyes seemed to shine in a shade of color that was a mixture between green, blue, and grey.

As for her clothing, he couldn't be more surprised. She was not clad in a sensible dress, but in strange pants, of a light blue color, and a silvery-green tunic, with a pair of fine brown boots. Even more astonishing was the light circlet upon her brow. _What in the name of the valor was and elven princess-for that was the only sensible reason for her to have a circlet- doing on a dragon? And dressed as such to top it off!_

He saw her carrying a small bundle of cloth with her as she walked along the side of the dragon and under it's wing. Legolas could hear her speaking to the dragon, but not exactly what she was saying, as her voice had become muffled by the dragon's wing. When she came back out from beneath said wing, he nearly fainted. The young lady was wearing next to nothing! He saw that all her intimate areas had been completely covered, but still! It was very improper for her to be dressed like she was. _But, _a little voice in the back of his mind reminded him_, she does believe that she's alone_.

He watched as she carefully tied the bundle that he realized was her clothes to the back of the dragon, onto a saddle that he hadn't noticed before now he then watched as she slipped her circlet into a saddlebag and tied it securely shut. She then walked to the edge of the waterfall and calmly observed it. He saw her smile, before she turned and walked back a few steps. Then, she ran back those few steps, and JUMPED OVER THE EDGE! He then nearly had a heart attack, because the dragon jumped over after her! Was she insane? Or did she have a death wish? Or a little bit of both?

He ran to the edge as soon as the dragon had jumped, and immediately saw it turning away from the water and twirling back up into the air, and going to sit at the edge of the lake, seemingly waiting for something. He noticed this, then returned to frantically searching the waters for this strange girl, or rather, her body. It was highly unlikely that she had survived, seeing as no one could survive in the water. that's why people had boats and bridges, was to avoid the deadly water, save for bathing and collecting water for drinking and cooking.

As he was doing this, he sensed someone behind himself and quickly spun around, notching an arrow and readying it for fire at the unknown person. As he noticed it was Gandalf, the grey wizard, he relaxed and lowered his bow. "Gandalf, you startled me," he said in a combination of greeting, and explanation for Legolas pointing an arrow at the wizard. "I am assuming, Legolas, that you, like myself, spotted the dragon, and decided to investigate," the wizard replied calmly.

Legolas nodded in response. "did you see the young lady?" he asked of the wizard, just to be sure he wasn't hallucinating. "yes, I saw her," Gandalf replied. Legolas looked over at him. The wizard was staring , seemingly calmly over the edge of the waterfall, but slight a slight shade of pink had appeared over his cheekbones, and Legolas' mouth twitched into an almost-smile. Apparently the wizard had been more affected by the girl's costume than Legolas had.

"Well what are we going to do about this?" he asked of Gandalf. " I believe that we should make an ally of her." he responded. They saw her come up and surface in the middle of the lake, and stay there for a moment, laughing. Upon further inspection, Legolas saw that the dragon was laughing ,too. Deep and resonating, the dragon laughed with the elf-girl. Once the young lady stopped laughing, she disappeared beneath the surface once again.

"Gandalf," began Legolas, "how is she moving through the water like that?" " I believe," Gandalf replied, "that she is swimming." "oh." said Legolas. He himself had never had the gift of swimming, for he sunk like a rock and the water just didn't agree with him. Then again, he really hadn't known anyone who could swim. They slowly made their way down the cliff, and emerged just seven yards from the dragon and girl. The girl had surfaced, and they could see her silhouette brushing it's hair now, under the dragon's wing.

They dared not talk, for from this distance, the dragon would surely hear them. The wind shifted, and the dragon was now downwind. The elf's and wizard's eyes widened, as the dragon shifted into a crouch, growled, and started turning it's head, obviously searching for them. The girl walked out from beneath the wing she was under, with a wary look on her face. " Siladhiel, what is wrong?" they heard her ask. They then watched her then sprint up the dragon's leg, run along the length of it's back, and begin to arm herself.

They witnessed her pulling out weapon after weapon, daggers, arrows, a bow and a shining sword the likes of which they had never seen. After her arrows and quiver were upon her back, she proceeded to belt her daggers and sword. Last of all, she placed her shining circlet on her brow, and her sword was drawn. As she drew said sword, Legolas and Gandalf looked at each other in mild discomfort. _Clearly, this girl was a force to be reckoned with. She obviously had skills that surpassed that of most men._

Her face went blank for a moment, and they each felt a presence sweep across their minds. This presence made them think of salt air, and rolling waves, vanilla, and woods, and a sharp, tangy smell that was completely unfamiliar to them. Then the girl started, and standing straight, put a fierce look on. "I know you are here. Show yourselves!" she yelled. she held her sword at the ready, though in her left hand_. Curious_, thought Legolas. _Is she left handed, or is there some reason that she wants her right hand free? _

His thoughts were interrupted though, as he found Gandalf stepping into the full view of the young female, silently gesturing for him to follow. Her head swiveled to them, and her eyes flashed form Gandalf's face to Legolas's face, then to their weapons and clothing, then to Legolas's ears. She walked with measured steps towards them, her dragon following, now standing, and with it's wings flared above it and it's head arced to face the two of them.

" Hail, I am Aeroniel Rhavaniel Drottingu Shur'tugal, and this is my dragon, Siladhiel Bjartskular, or Electra Brightscales" she held up her right hand, and Gandalf and Legolas saw a strange mark, glowing silver on her palm. Gandalf's eyes flew wide as he took in her hand. He then bowed low and said, "honored rider, I thought I would never see the gedwey ignasia burn bright but in scrolls and scripts of old. And hail to both you and the dragon, Siladhiel"

Legolas bowed his head slightly in greeting, still pondering Gandalf's behavior, and, remembering fae tales of lands with dragon riders, he decided to try the elvish greeting it had told him about.** " Atra esterni ono thelduin, Aeroniel Shur'tugal"** and to their immense surprise, she responded, with the first two fingers of her right hand over her lips, saying "**Atra du evarynia ono varda, Legolas-vodhr." **

~.~o~O~0~O~o~.~

**Chapter two down. HaHaHa, gandalf was embarassed! im not going to make him very mysterious in here, just so you know. and YES, i KNOW that my username matches the main character' with it. im thinking about aeroniel learning sindarin. or quenya. what do you guys think? plus, i might just twist the plot a little, and have them going to visit some elves that never seem to pop up in the movies or the books. guess who? coookies for those who guess right! :)**

**(sindarin and quenya are elvish languages in LoTR, just in case you didnt know. sindarin is in Rivendll and quenya is in Mirkwood. Im not sure about lothlorien, though, i think that it's a mix of both...)**


	3. Through Mind Speech

_Chapter three: Through Mind Speech _

Aeroniel POV

As I swept the area with my mind, I sensed two male beings. _Oh dear, this could turn out to just not be their day. _I thought, only half amused. If their intentions were not to my liking, it would be a bad day indeed for these people. " I know you are here, show yourselves!" I shouted. Two people stepped from the tree line. The first had an old and wise face, with a quite long beard and was wearing a long gray robe, with a matching pointy hat. He was also carrying a long wooden staff.

The second seemed considerably younger, with an unmarked face, with bright blue eyes and long gleaming blonde hair. He was wearing green leggings and a green tunic, with several daggers, some arrows, and a bow. My eyes flicked to his ears and I was not altogether unsurprised to see that he was an elf. _we should see what he is like, for I've heard some stories about deceitful elves, and wizards, for that matter, from Glaedr_, Electra suggestively commented. _Agreed_, I stated.

I swept out my mind to see what the strange man with the pointy hat was concealing within his mind. I saw many things, and I thought, _my oh my, this person would get along quite well with Oromis. _for he had much wisdom, and I could see that his thoughts followed a complex path. Not so complex that it no longer made sense to most, such as myself, Oromis, and the rest of the elder elves', but complex nonetheless.

So this man called himself Gandalf the grey, and he was a wizard or , as they liked to call it, an istari. _Too bad the powers of magic are separated from the elves here. But then again, they must have found another way to make their situation suffice_. The other man was called Legolas. So blondie was a prince huh? Perfect. He's probably going to be all snooty about it. Gandalf was somewhere around a hundred and fifty, I figured. Quite young for an elder race really. And mister Legolas was two thousand some-odd years..

_Well, I don't suppose that surprises me, he is an elf. _I reasoned. _These people seem harmless, Aeroniel, how should we approach them_? Inquired Electra. _I'll do the talking for now, it doesn't seem that they have the capability of mind speech,-that's a saddening thought in and of it's self- _Electra butted in_- we should make an effort not to startle them_, I thought back. _Ha, im a dragon, you cant get much more startling than that,_ laughed Electra silently.

I had to make a conscious effort not to smirk. I raised my right hand in greeting, at the same time showing off my gedwey ignasia, while my sword was in my left hand. "Hail, I am Aeroniel Rhavaniel Drottingu Shur'tugal. And this is my dragon, Siladhiel Bjartskular, or Electra Brightscales." I could visibly see and mentally tell when Gandalf put two and two together, and realized just how important this strange elven girl was.

I really did fight my smirk when I was looking at his mind, but a tiny bit escaped. At least I don't think anyone noticed. "honored rider, I thought I would never see the gedwey ignasia burn bright but in scrolls and scripts of old. And hail to both you and the dragon, Siladhiel" he said, bowing. I nodded in recognition, and turned my attention to blondie as he greeted me in the fashion of the du weldenvarden elves.

"**May the stars watch over you Aeroniel dragon rider." **he said. I could tell that he really didn't know what he was saying, and he wasn't even sure if he was saying the right thing for the occasion. I looked at his mind, and it seems that dragon riders were so ancient, they weren't even legend anymore, we were the stuff of myth, and almost a dead myth too. It seems that Legolas remembered the tale just barely and only remembered this greeting because it told of elven customs that he did not know.

Well well, this is new_. I really didn't know what to expect this far north but it certainly wasn't the fact that I am bringing a myth to life here_. I thought to Electra. _Agreed. But why don't we surprise him and prove that we are the myth? _she returned. _Why I think I will, that's a wonderful idea Electra_. _Thanks _she said, smiling.

And so I replied appropriately, much to their astonishment **" and may good fortune rule over you, honored Legolas" **and was rewarded by their astonished looks. Though this time, I really just could not hold in my smirk any longer and it burst onto my face, very nearly passing off for a full smile. His face recovered from it's astonishment, and was replaced with a mingle of incredulity, and unfortunately, suspicion.

"How do you know my name? I'm certain we haven't met." he very nearly demanded. "All in good time, Son of Thranduil," I said, chuckling slightly. That left him speechless. First I knew his name, now I knew his lineage? Yeah you could say it was strange for him, but that might not cover it. I focused my gaze on Gandalf. I've been told that if im really concentrating on someone, my gaze is piercing, and sometimes a bit frightening. As it was, he flinched as he caught my gaze, and didn't look me straight in the eye for a bit.

_Gandalf_. I thought, projecting my mind to speak with him. His mind started going high speed, and he was about to say something aloud when I thought, _no, you don't have to speak for me to hear you now. In fact, I'd rather you not. I'm not sure if I trust Legolas at the moment. _he stuttered_. 'But…but… how can you… that presence I felt in my mind earlier, was that __you__?' _I smirked again._ Yes. What did my presence remind you of? Everyone has an essence. I've already heard about mine, but I want to make sure. '_

'_Well, it reminded me of salt air, and rolling waves. So of the sea, and of the forests, and…. There was this strange smell. Sharp, tangy, not sour but not sweet, some sort of fruit? And of vanilla.' _I pondered his description of the smell and taste. _Oh I know what you're talking about, it was oranges. it's a fruit native to my home. I'll tell you where that is all in due time. For now, I have questions. I could leaf through your memories, but I don't like doing that to people, as I wouldn't want it done to me for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that you will have no control over what I see, and when you resist, it can be painful on your end._

'_Ask away Princess Aeroniel.' _he agreed hastily, obviously a bit frightened at this lethal, yet subtle display of power. _Well, first of all, where am I, and second, who rules this particular forest and is he a good person. _I asked. _' you are in Rivendell, one of the few elf kingdoms in middle earth. Elrond is lord of this wood, and he rules the entire valley.' he responded. ' he is a good person, and not too judging based on gender. But Aeroniel, I have a favor to ask of you and your dragon.' And what favor would you ask? _I inquired.

' _A young friend of mine must go upon a dangerous quest, and our world must fight a large war wether or not my young friend's quest fails. It is infinitely important for the fate of our world that Frodo ,who is the one who is going on the quest, succeeds. I would ask you to attend a meeting with all of the rulers of all of the different countries of middle earth there. Save for those of Lothlorien, who will most likely not attend.'_

'_Being a rider, you and your dragon could help us greatly_. He finished. _I will attend if I am allowed by the holder of said meeting. I'm guessing that it is here in Rivendell, otherwise you and master Legolas would not be here. Am I correct? ' yes, you are indeed.' _

"Very well. I shall attend." I concluded, and withdrew from his mind. "Now Gandalf, Legolas, would you like to meet Electra?" I asked. "is Electra not the dragon?" inquired Legolas. _Yes, I am the dragon, Legolas-Vodhr. And you would do best not to gossip about people when they are present_. Said Electra in the mind speak, opening her thoughts to include Legolas and Gandalf, as they obviously already included me.

It was well worth the wait to see the shock on their faces as they heard Electra speak for the first time. "And now if you would, gentlemen, I would like to meet this Elrond, and it's getting dark besides. Now are you two going to be walking or running, or will you ask nicely if Electra can please carry you?" they chose the latter, and though Electra and I seriously considered making Legolas walk the entire way, but we decided against it, as we decided that would be spiteful.

"Now I hope you two realize how much of an honor this is, that she is willing to carry you." I clarified. With that, I climbed up into my saddle, and refrained from strapping my legs in, as it was only a little ways up the river. I turned, and shouted down to them, "well, are you coming?" with that, Legolas made the first attempt to climb up after me, and finally managed it, after much slipping and a lot of almost-falls.

As he reached the saddle, I stood on the tip of the neck spike in front of me, showing off my balance, which im positive far exceeded his, and gestured to the space behind myself, between two spikes that were more or less vertical, having been filed so that they weren't very sharp. As he sat down, I stepped lightly back onto the saddle and looked down at Gandalf. " I cannot climb her flank," he admitted. I lowered down a rope, so he could climb up and sit behind Legolas.

I let the rope stay back there, and advised them On how to tie themselves to the spikes before and behind them, so as to minimize the possibility that they would slip off. After that was finished, I sat back down and clarified, "just up the river, right Gandalf?" "yes" came the reply, and with that, we took off.

~.~o~O~0~O~o~.~

**Three down. Gandalf cant climb a dragon! *smirks* well, it certainly doesnt help that the scales are like, super smooth. oh well. i AM sorry that the chapters are so short. i'll try to make them longer in the future, ok? as you might have noticed, i am alternating views with every other chapter. aeroniel/electra, legolas/slight gandalf, and so forth. sorry that i dont have any of the special letters that are supposed to be included in the ancient language, but im on a laptop and cant do that. i might get around to it eventually, though. let me know if i made any mistakes, and please review! I have like three other stories written out on paper, and qiute a few plot bunnies. what story should i post next? a LoTR, HP crossover, or an Inkheart, LoTR crossover? your pick. ooh i just noticed that the one line is from the polar express! cool.**


	4. Memories

Chapter Four: Prejudices and flying

Legolas POV

_It was a wonderful feeling to fly, but I was quite ashamed to admit, that I was afraid. _Thought Legolas. He had had a very difficult time getting up onto the dragon, which was only helped along by the fact that the scales were mirror- smooth. He hoped that Aeroniel wasn't one to judge by first appearances, as he really just wasn't himself at all this evening. He sorely wished that she would come to respect and slightly fear him like most others, but he got the feeling that one could hide nothing from this girl and her dragon.

Another feeling that he got was that this girl feared few, and respected only those that she deemed worthy. A most likely reason for this was the fact that she had a dragon with her, and it seemed that they rarely, if ever parted. Then again, even before the dragon talked, she seemed very complex and not ordinary at all. Maybe it was her being so fearless. Most women loved being shy, but Aeroniel was straight and open, hiding almost nothing …well… if it pertained to the subject. He could tell that this elfling had many secrets yet.

He looked behind himself at Gandalf. Gandalf was one of the few he respected, seeing as most were younger than him, and required no respect, legolas hardly felt a reason not to feel superior. But Gandalf was wise for his years, and he was an istari besides. So respect was eminent. Speaking of, he currently had great reason to respect Aeroniel. As Electra went into a roll, he and Gandalf were only saved from slipping off by Aeroniel's impeccable knot tying skills, while she just whooped and laughed, leaning far over with the dragon, now almost horizontal with the ground, staying on flawlessly, and without any securing at all!

His eyes flew wide as he saw the forest below him-or was it above him?- , and he quickly shut them tight until he was right-way up again. Then he felt the presence in his mind again, and this time, he heard a voice… it was Aeroniel's voice, he thought, astonished. _Are you okay, Legolas? _The voice asked. He furrowed his brows. Was he finally losing his mind? _NO Legolas, your mind has not yet forsaken you. I really am here, Legolas, in your mind_. He opened his eyes quickly, and in the reflections coming off of Electra's scales, saw her face, which was once more in a blank state, and the feeling that she really was in his mind, speaking to him, became all too real.

_Calm down Legolas, or you really will lose your mind. _I heard aeroniel say.

_Yes prnceling, you must calm yourself. _This time it was the other voice, I think it was the dragon's.

"Ok, ok. I'm calm enough. Now first of all, how do you know where you are going?" I asked aloud.

_Gandalf told us. And we are also going to that meeting of rulers that is gonna go on tomorrow. _She spoke in mind talk again for some reason. _It's easier than trying to talk over the wind. _

Oh. Well that would explain it. Wait a minute…

"I never heard Gandalf say anything." I stated matter-of-factly.

'We spoke to him in mind speech also young one' Electra explained, while the elf-maiden sighed in obvious exasperation.

_What IS your problem aeroniel? _I asked, knowing she would hear me.

She was silent for a moment, and I believe that she forgot to withdraw from my mind just then, because I could hear her thoughts, see them, as clearly as if they were my own.

I could see scenes, playing over in her head. And they were of me. Me ridiculing her, for being a girl, for being young, for a multitude of things. And I was astonished. Why did she imagine these things?

It was then that a memory began. Not these scenarios that she imagined my demeanor to be, but a real memory. It was… faded, like se hadn't thought about it n centuries. It was of a man, and he was human, too. I saw Aeroniel walk up to him, in all of her battle regalia, with a different crown though.

It was more flashy, with a wreath of metal leaves. But these weren't normal leaves, they seemed sort of spiky, I remembered seeing a sketch of them somewhere… palm leaves, that was it. They were very small, and intertwined so intricately, it was even more complicated and beautiful than dwarf work.

When I looked closely,- for it seemed as if I was there in her memory myself, though no one reacted to me-I could see multiple small, precious stones adorning her crown. Jasper, moonstone, sunstone, and blood emerald. They were so rare and precious, I wondered at it, and it's simplistic man was seated on a throne, with royal attire, and crown. While her crown was simple, yet beautiful because of that fact, making her beautiful too, his crown was made to look boastful, with large sapphires, diamonds, and rubies.

It was a large thing, and it was surprising that the man's neck was strong enough to hold it up.

_Why was she here?`_legolas furrowed his brows. This place looked foreboding. Something about it was just… _off. _He watched as she walked up to the throne, head held high.

_Lord Larkin, I have been sent here by my mother, the queen in Ellesmera. _she began.

_Why have you come, female?_

At this, she was physically taken aback, and it was obvious to Legolas that she was restraining herself, from both physical and verbally retaliating.

_Queen Islanzadi and King Evandar, my parents, have sent me to discuss with you and your council about the riders, and , more specifically, the rather questionable rider, Galbatorix._ she responded, keeping a level tone.

Evandar…. That sounds like evenstar, is he possibly descended from middle earth?- thought Legolas from the sidelines.

_If they sent a woman, then truly you must have been sent to give me a message. For women do not have the ability to understand and reason, and those who think they do are always mislead, into thinking they are equal to the male. Poor things, those weak little women. that's why we have them watch the house, you know. So they wont hurt themselves._

At this, Aeroniel was fuming, and the guards around the room were beginning to be set on edge, for they sensed that she was oh-so-close to her dreaded limit. Her eyes were narrowed to slits, and her hand rested on her sword.

_I believe, sir that it would be best if I excused myself. Before your prejudices overcome my limit for tolerance. _And with that, she excused herself, walking with lengthy strides from the throne room.

Another scene came up then, this time noticeably shorter.

Aeroniel was sitting on a low branch, but her peace was disturbed by a group of men clearly over their limits with ale.

He watched as they harassed her, and after she struck them, knocking them all out, but not killing them, she fled from the scene.

_Stupid! Idiot! _He could hear her chastising herself. _Why me? Why must I put up with these insufferable men and their prejudiced ways?_

_I cant even strike them for fear of unjustly killing them! Argh! I cant take this! I'm going home!_

_And with that, her vision faded._

**Hopefully, this helps with why Aeroniel doesn't trust legolas, or guys in general that much. But now that legolas has seen the cause, her feelings WILL change, I promise! This is actually just the first part of this ch, it'll be continued next chapter. Ok?**

**You're killing me people! 70 visitors and 5 reviews? Not fair.*pouts* suggestions and constructive criticism are welcome, need I say it again? PLEASE REVIEW!**


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